Five Essentials New Photographers Should Look for on Amazon Prime Day

Black Friday has returned in the middle of July! That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, Prime Day is upon us. Starting today, Monday, July 16 at 3 p.m. EST (12 p.m. PST), Amazon will have exclusive deals for their Prime members.

According to Best Black Friday’s research, Prime Day has historically featured more valuable deals compared to major sales events like Black Friday. Analysts and tech-bloggers are already beginning to predict this year’s to be Amazon’s biggest yet. So, how will you take advantage of their deals?

For any beginning photographer, it’s always a little tough to figure out where to start. Surely, you’ll need a camera (if you don’t already have one). Personally, I started out in photography by purchasing a Canon Rebel t5i Kit on Amazon in 2014. These kits often come with the camera body, a kit lens, SD card and some cleaning tools.

If you’re already an Amazon Prime customer, here are a few items you should be on the lookout for exclusive deals to start building your kit.

Camera Kit

If you’re just starting out in photography and want to pick up your first camera body, consider purchasing an entire kit. Like I mentioned above, I purchased a Canon Rebel T5i kit on Amazon and I thought it was the best thing in the world. I learned the ins and outs of that camera and eventually upgraded to a full-frame camera and passed off the t5i to one of my closest friends who wanted to learn. While a lot of people are against kits, it seemed like a one-stop shop for me.

It included the camera (of course), an 18-55mm kit lens, SD cards, a holder, a protective backpack, and some cleaning tools. I felt like I was ready for my first shoot and that’s the kind of confidence I needed after being told that I wouldn’t be able to make a career out of photography.

SD or CF Cards

You can never have too many cards! Cards fail, they somehow get corrupted, and you should always bring extras to any shoot you’re on. Having extra cards (and batteries) will help keep you from looking unprofessional to your client should you run out of space. Remember, you’re capturing their special day or moment, and they’re just as excited or nervous as you may be.

Tripod

I’ve read articles where the writers would recommend you start building your kit with a tripod that costs $70 or $80 at the minimum. I’m going to tell you the opposite. Knowing the style that I shoot in, currently, I don’t have a huge need for a tripod just yet. So, why would I invest more money in a tripod when I know I’m not going to use it as often as I’d like or afford to?

That’s why my advice is if you’re in the market for a tripod, consider one from the Amazon Basics collection. I’ve had their tripod for years and have had no problems. They have a 60-inch lightweight tripod for less than $25.

External Hard Drive

Allow me to introduce you to the external hard drive. Treat her well, and she will keep you and your files safe. Treat her badly, and she may get corrupted and make you lose, well, everything. This has happened to me one too many times, and because of this, I’ve learned the important lesson of saving your files in three different places: on Dropbox, on an external drive, and then also backed up onto another external drive.

Going back to Best Black Friday’s research, historically, Seagate external hard drives are usually up to 30 percent off during Prime Day, so be sure to grab yours!

Prime Lens

One of my favorite lenses for portraits is a prime lens, the Canon 50mm f/1.8. The compact lens packs a serious punch. With an aperture as low as 1.8, you can get a shallow depth of field and a gorgeous blurred background (or bokeh). Using prime lenses, especially when you’re first starting out, helps you grow as a photographer. You have the tools to start shooting, but then you’re forced into situations to think quickly to get your shot. Whether it’s becoming more intimate with your subject to get the perfect close-up or wiggling back more and more to get more space, you’ll be moving and learning more about composing your perfect shot with a prime lens.

Do your research, but this Prime Day, consider looking out for deals on the 24mm, 50mm, or 85mm for your camera body.

Laura Ersoy is a portrait and music photographer based in the New York/New Jersey area. She currently works as a Digital Designer, while also serving as Editor-in-Chief for the independent music & culture publication, EUPHORIA. Magazine.

I don´t agree with the tripod. In fact I say the opposite. Buy a sturdy and well built one. It will last years and years with just a little maintenance, helping you to get sharp images.
Also other stuff like the canon lens has the regular price.

These stories are just plain wrong. We have small company's struggling throughout the country due to the internet and Amazon. Small businesses in general cannot compete with the internet and/or Amazon. These small businesses get zero publicity unless they pay for it and meanwhile Amazon gets not only free time on the news they actually end up with segments in some instances. At no charge courtesy of the media.

As a small business owner I have witnessed over and over loss of a sale due to either the internet or Amazon in particular. I am not big enough to qualify for quantity purchase discounts and would struggle with any kind of a promotional effort. Yet Amazon gets free publicity.

It seems we won't be happy until most of small town America goes out of business while Amazon gets free publicity. Something is very wrong with this picture.